Rescued by Dr. Rafe

‘Yes... That would be good.’

‘In that case, I get to look out for you. The same way that I hope you’ll look out for me.’

Mimi swallowed hard. ‘You want me to look out for you?’

‘Why not?’ His sudden grin burned into her soul like a red-hot brand. ‘It’s expensive to train new doctors. You’d be doing the economy a favour.’

Right now, the economy was the last thing on her mind. She tried to drag her attention away from the curve of his lips.

‘Okay then—partners. I’ll look after you and you can look after me.’

He held out his hand and she took it, almost in a dream. One of those bright, happy dreams that had so often been shattered when she woke and found that Rafe wasn’t sleeping next to her.

‘Partners it is, then.’

Suddenly the dream cracked. Mimi had promised herself not to risk falling for another man and fantasising about Rafe, of all people, was plain crazy.

She let go of his hand, settling back into her seat. Five years ago she’d been foolish enough to believe that she meant something to him, and now... He’d be gone soon and he wouldn’t look back.

Perhaps that was the advantage of having a heart that had once been broken. It was stronger now, and well defended. Rafe couldn’t just walk back into her life and steal it.

* * *

The shining look on her face, the way her lips were parted slightly, had obliterated everything else. Mimi might be as tough as they came, but when she made love she was the softest, sweetest thing.

Don’t do this. Don’t even think about it.

He’d made one promise to Charlie, and another to himself. He wasn’t going to break either of them. Rafe switched on the engine, jamming the car into first gear with more force than was strictly necessary, and started to drive.

CHAPTER FOUR

THEIR FIRST CALL was to a man with cuts and bruises, from where a dry-stone wall had collapsed onto him. In better circumstances he might well have just turned up in A and

E, but he’d called first and been passed on to the Disaster Control Team, who had told him to stay put and wait for someone to get to him.

With Rafe there, it was possible to treat him in situ. Not the best use of his skills, but it saved time and resources where they were needed the most. The kitchen table was turned into a temporary treatment area, and Eric’s arm lay supported on a wad of dressing as Rafe carefully injected the local anaesthetic on either side of the wound.

‘You’re the doctor’s assistant?’ Eric’s wife came to sit next to Mimi at the other end of the long table.

‘No.’ She flipped her gaze towards Rafe to check that he wasn’t grinning and saw that his concentration was wholly on what he was doing. ‘I’m a paramedic. Only my ambulance got washed away in the river.’

‘Up by Holme? I heard about that on the local radio news; they’re completely cut off now. No one hurt, I hope.’

‘No. Just got a bit wet.’

A baby started to cry in the other room and the woman hurried out, returning with her child in her arms. ‘We’re sorry to bring you out all this way. Eric was going to go into A and E, but I was worried about him driving and I called first. They said they’d send a doctor to us.’ Her tone was apologetic.

‘That’s all right. We’re trying to get as many people as possible treated at home because A and E is pretty stretched at the moment. It’s a lot better this way, all round.’

‘Not for you. It looks as if it’s going to be a filthy night again.’ The woman turned the edges of her mouth down in sympathy, and Mimi smiled.

‘I’ll be in bed, drinking cocoa and reading a book soon enough.’ Mimi thought she saw a movement from Rafe out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned he was already looking away again.

‘Whatever you earn you deserve more...’ Eric broke in, and his wife nodded.

‘I tell my boss that all the time.’ Mimi grinned, picking up a soft toy from the table and waggling it in front of the baby. There wasn’t much else for her to do. ‘What do you say to my making a cup of tea?’

‘Tea?’ Rafe seemed to hear the magic word. ‘That would be nice, thanks.’